Rightly or wrongly I was convinced that it was my duty to give the place a chance by putting there a younger man, of energy and capacity for hard work.

I gave it to my future son-in-law as you know." Wentworth nodded.

"Everyone said at the time he was an excellent man," he said with evident desire to be fair.
"I daresay, but that is not the point.

The point is that I had no idea that iron traction engine wanted to marry my daughter or anybody's daughter.

The tactless beast got up steam and proposed for her the day after I had offered him the living.